ARTHUR   IVIASOIM   ARNOLD. 

\_From  the  Chicago  Daily  Trilmiie,  Momiav,  April  28,  /<?7.7.] 

The  sad  news  reached  Ihe  family  of  the  Hon.  Isaac  N.  Arnold,  at  their  residence,  No.  104  Pine  street,  in  the 
Njrth  Division,  at  a  late  hour  on  Saturday  evening,  that  their  only  son,  Arthur  Mason  Arnold,  a  lad  of  lifleen,  of 
unusual  promise,  was  drowned  in  Rock  River  on  Saturday  afternoon,  April  27.  The  brief  and  heart-rending 
intelligence  was  confirmed,  and  made  even  more  affecting  in  its  nature,  by  the  full  and  distressing  particulars  of 
the  event  brought  to  this  city  yesterday  morning,  by  a  gentleman  from  Dixon,  a  friend  of  the  family,  a  special 
messenger,  with  tidings  more  melancholy  in  their  purport  than  are  usual  in  the  visitations  of  human  households. 

Mr.  Arnold  and  his  family  have,  for  some  months,  Ijeen  preparing  for  an  extended  tour  in  Europe,  and  their 
arrangements  were  made  and  berths  secured  in  the  ill-fated  Atlantic,  of  the  White  .Star  Line.  The  appalling 
disaster  to  that  steamer  deferred  Mr.  Arnold's  departure,  which,  however,  was  soon  to  take  place.  The  residence 
had  been  rented  to  E.  H.  Sheldon,  Esq.,  and  the  final  matters  were  being  disposed  of  for  immediate  departure. 

Mr.  Arnold  owns  a  farm  on  the  Rock  River,  near  Dixon,  which  he  has  made  the  home  of  a  relative.  It  has 
been  a  familiar  sight  in  our  streets,  Mr.  Arnold  and  his  beautiful  boy,  mounted  on  a  gray  steed  and  a  gray  pony, 
and  many  have  turned  on  our  thoroughfares  to  mark  the  pair  as  they  were  taking  their  rides  together.  The  horses 
were  to  be  sent  to  the  Dixon  farm  to  be  kept  during  the  tour  in  Europe,  and  Mr.  Arnold  and  his  son  went  out  on 
Friday  to  see  the  pets  disposed  of,  and  bid  farewell  to  friends.  For  some  weeks  past  Arthur,  whose  inventive  and 
mechanical  turn  of  mind  his  fond  parent  had  encouraged,  had  been  building  a  small  boat  with  his  own  hands  in 
the  yard  at  his  home  in  this  city,  and  was  very  proud  of  his  achievement.  The  craft  was  a  sail-boat,  and  was 
fitted  up  throughout  by  the  boy,  with  such  advice  and  study  as  he  could  bring  to  bear  in  the  task.  The  little  craft 
was  finished,  and  the  kind  parent  consented  that  it  should  be  put  on  board  the  cars,  to  be  left  for  safe-keeping  at 
Dixon.  In  the  mysterious  dispensation  of  Providence  it  was  an  instrument  of  fate  that  has  plunged  the  family 
and  a  wide  circle  of  friends  in  grief 

Through  our  informant  from  Dixon,  (above  referred  to, )  we  learn  some  particulars  of  the  sad  casualty.  Arthur, 
boy-like,  was  eager  to  try  his  sail-boat.  Mr.  Arnold  consented,  but  for  safety  took  a  large,  clumsy,  flat-bottonied 
skiff,  and  attempted  to  keep  with  his  son.  A  flaw  of  wind  carried  Arthur's  craft  suddenly  to  a  considerable 
distance,  and  then  overturned  it.  The  Rock  River  was  running  a  full  spring  current,  icy  cold.  The  lad  bravely 
clung  to  his  capsized  skiff,  and  seemed  to  hold  it  strongly.  Agonized  by  his  peril,  the  father  made  every  exertion 
with  his  clumsy  boat  to  reach  his  son,  but  the  wind  being  against  him,  and  his  son  not  far  from  the  bank,  Mr. 
Arnold  jumped  ashore,  ran  along  the  bank,  seized  a  heavy  plank,  and  floated  it  out  towards  Arthur,  who  sank, 
chilled,  before  reaching  it.  The  boy  was  recovered  after  several  hours  search,  but  beyond  resuscitation.  It  would 
be  an  idle  and  ungracious  task  to  seek  to  add  a  line  to  paint  the  anguish  of  the  blow,  sad  to  all,  but  saddest  to 
the  most  loving  of  fathers,  whose  son  thus  perished  before  his  eyes. 

A  few  family  friends  went  out  to  Dixon  last. evening  to  meet  Mr.  Arnold,  and  pay  the  mournful  tribute  of 
condolence  in  his  great  affliction.  This  party  return  to-day  with  the  remains  of  the  bright  and  noble  boy,  who,  a 
few  hours  since,  so  full  of  hope  and  life,  went  out  to  place  his  pet  pony  and  boat  in  good  keeping  while  he  was 
abroad.     The  funeral  will  occur  on  Wednesday. 

The  event  has  caused  a  profound  sensation  among  the  numerous  friends  of  the  family  in  this  city.  It  is 
mysterious  that  a  life  so  bright  in  its  promise  should  have  closed  thus  sadly.  And  yet  may  we  not  add  that  it  is 
within  human  experience  that,  among  those  who  mourn  with  Mr.  .\rnold  and  his  house,  there  will  be  some  who. 
in  after  years,  will  envy  this  stricken  family  the  cherished  memory  and  green  billow  of  turf  that  are  all  that  will 
remain  of  Arthur,  as  compared  with  the  blighted  life  of  some  worse  defeat  of  boyish  promise  in  their  own  house- 
holds.    Il  is  a  gift  from  Heaven  to  have  loved  and  lost  such  a  son. 


THE  DEATH  OF  ARTHUR  M.  ARNOLD. 

{From  Ihe  C'hiea,^v  Daily  Tribune,  Tuesday,  April  2^.  /Sys-I 

The  many  friends  of  the  Hon.  I.  N.  Arnold  will  have  a  melancholy  interest  in  the  details  of  the  calamity 
annoimced  in  yesterday's  Trilnnte,  which  has  deprived  him  of  an  only  son,  and  thrown  a  dark  shadow  over  his 
newly-established  home  and  the  plans  of  his  foreign  tour. 

Mr.  Arnold  and  his  son  arrived  at  Dixon  on  Friday  evening,  and  spent  the  night  at  the  hotel.  In  the  morn- 
ing Arthur  launched  his  boat,  and  he  and  his  father  went  in  it  down  the  river  to  the  farm,  about  three  miles.  After 
dinner  the  boy  was  desirousto  try  his  boat  again,  having  meanwhile  fitted  the  mast  and  sail,  and  the  father,  anxious  for 
his  safety,  accompanied  him  in  another  boat — a  scow — with  but  one  perfect  oar.  The  breeze  had  freshened,  and 
Arthur  was  in  high  glee,  tacking  back  and  forth  many  times  across  Rock  River,  which  bounds  Mr.  Arnold's  farm  for 
over  a  mile,  and  is  here  nearly  600  feet  wide,  and  at  this  time  swollen  with  the  spring  flood.  The  boy  was  much 
pleased  with  the  sailing  qualities  of  the  boat,  the  work  of  his  own  hands  throughout,  and,  as  he  was  passing  his 
father,  swung  his  hat  around  his  head  and  shouted,  "  Catch  me  if  you  can !  isn't  this  jolly?"  After  indulging  in  this 
sport  for  some  time,  his  father  suggested  that  perhaps  they  had  better  go  ashore  ;  to  which  Arthur  replied,  "  I  will  take 
one    more  turn   first." 


LAWRENCE  J.  GUTTER 

Collection  of  ChicogoonQ 

THE    UNIVERSITY   OF   ILLINOIS 
AT  CHICAGO 

The  University  Library 


This  lime  he  took  a  longer  reach,  and  Mr,  Arnold,  who,  lor  a  moment,  was  attending  to  his  own  boat,  on  look- 
ing down  the  river  saw  that  his  son's  boat  had  capsized  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  and  that  he  was  cling- 
ing to  the  bottom.  He  at  once  attempted  to  reach  him  with  the  scow,  but  the  wind  was  blowing  strongly  up  the 
river,  and,  after  using  his  utmost  efforts  for  perhaps  ten  minutes,  he  found  that  he  was  making  no  headway,  and  he 
therefore  turned  to  the  shore,  reaching  which  he  ran  along  the  bank,  throwing  off  his  coat  as  he  went. 

Meanwhile  he  attempted  to  hail  Arthur,  but  the  distance  and  head  wind  probably  prevented  the  latter  from 
hearing  his  voice.  Arthur,  however,  called,  asking  his  father  to  come,  but  in  a  quiet,  firm  tone,  indicating  entire 
self-possession.  Arthur  was  fifteen,  large  for  his  age,  strong,  and  an  excellent  swimmer.  He  had  often  told  his  father 
what  he  would  do  under  precisely  such  circumstances,  and  while  the  latter  was  running  down  the  bank,  he  saw  the  boy 
pull  off  his  coat  and  strike  for  the  shore.  He  swam  rapidly,  and  had  made  about  two-thirds  of  the  distance  when  his 
father  arrived  opposite  to  him,  and,  seizing  a  plank,  plunged  into  the  water.  The  strong  wind  against  the  current 
caused  quite  a  heavy  swell,  and  the  father  could  only  see  his  son  as  he  rose  on  the  crests  of  the  waves.  When  he 
last  saw  Arthur,  the  lad  seemed  not  to  be  using  his  arms,  but  to  be  standing  erect  in  the  water.  Mr.  Arnold  swam 
rapidly  toward  the  point  where  his  son  was  last  seen,  but  Arthur  had  disappeared. 

Just  here  the  river  deepens,  with  a  rocky  ledge,  descending  abruptly,  causing  a  strong  under-tow,  which,  with 
the  current,  taxed  all  Mr.  Arnold's  strength.  The  water  was  turbid,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  see  beneath  the 
surface,  Mr.  Arnold,  with  an  agony  that  can  not  be  pictured,  searched  for  his  son,  but  could  not  find  him.  Prob- 
ably after  the  lad  sank,  he  did  not  rise  again  to  the  surface.  The  father  instantly  gave  the  alarm  and  dispatched  a  man 
on  horseback  to  the  village,  two  miles  distant,  and  in  an  incredibly  short  time  very  many  citizens  were  on  the 
ground,  active  in  exploring  the  angry  and  turbid  waters,  while  physicians  made  ready  all  the  appliances  for  the  resus- 
ciation,  should  the  oppurtunity  offer,  but  all  in  vain.  It  was  not  until  7  o'clock  that  the  body  was  found,  some 
distance  from  where  Arthur  was  last  seen,  in  a  crevice  in  the  rocks,  in  almost  S  feet  of  water,  the  arms  drawn  up 
as  if  he  had  been  seized  with  cramp. 

When  last  seen  by  his  father,  the  boy  was  only  a  few  rods  from  him,  but,  being  disabled  by  the  excessive  cold, 
the  under-tow  undoubtedly  drew  the  unfortunate  lad  under  and  whirled  him  rapidly  down  the  river. 

The  frantic  grief  of  the  father  can  only  be  imagined.  The  remains  arrived  in  this  city  Monday  afternoon, 
and  were  borne  to  his  father's  house  by  some  of  his  young  companions  and  schoolmates. 


MEMORIAL. 

Arthur  Mason  Arnold  was  born  in  Chicago,  May  13th,  1858,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
was  approaching  his  fifteenth  birthday.  Ahvays  robust  and  active,  he  early  developed  a  taste 
for  athletic  exercises,  and  with  his  physical  development  his  vigorous  mental  powers  kept 
pace.  He  loved  manly  sports,  and,  under  skillful  training,  carried  remarkable  thoughtfulncss 
and  readiness  into  all  the  pursuits  that,  in  later  years,  become  the  accomplishments  of  manliness. 
He  was  an  admirable  rider,  an  adept  almost  beyond  his  years  in  field-sports.  It  deserves  to  be 
recalled  with  melancholy  interest,  that  on  their  way  down  the  river,  on  the  fatal  trip,  he  play- 
fully described  to  his  father  his  experiences  in  the  Summer  of  1872,  when,  on  a  gunning  excursion, 
he  swam  across  the  same  stream  four  times  successively,  carrying  dry,  in  one  hand  above  his  head, 
his  gun,  sportsman's  apparatus  and  apparel.  At  another  season  this  disaster,  so  fatal  in  termin- 
ation, would  have  been  deemed  a  slight  misadventure,  to  be  dismissed  with  a  laugh.  With  all 
his  boyish  activity,  there  were  abundant  and  notable  indications  of  the  more  sterling  traits  that 
forecast  usefulness.  He  was  well  advanced  in  preparation  for  college,  with  an  aptitude  for 
mechanics  that  foreshadowed  a  practical  turn  in  his  future  professional  acquirements.  He  built 
his  boat  patiently  after  drawings  of  his  own,  and  named  her  the  "Water  Witch,"  from  his 
recent  reading  of  Cooper's  novels.  Mental  and  physical  activity  were  evenly  balanced.  His 
moral  nature  responded  to  careful  culture  of  excellent  native  traits.  It  is  his  father's  remark  to 
the  writer  that  "There  is  not  one  painful  recollection  associated  with  his  whole  life,  but  the  last. 
Dutiful,  truthful,  faithful,  guileless,  modest,  manly,  firm,  there  is  not,  until  its  closing  hour,  one 
unpleasant  or  painful  incident  connected  with  his  memory."  Is  it  not  a  life's  reward  to  have 
earned  such  testimony,  though  the  record  closes  at  fifteen  ?  .\s  they  were  floating  down  the  river 
to  the  treacherous  eddy  where  destiny  waited  for  him,  the  son  pleasantly  said,  "An  epic  poem 
must  be  written  describing  the  cruise  of  the  -Water  Witch.'  Father,  our  next  sail  together  must 
be  on  Lake  Geneva,  Switzerland."    A  few  minutes  later  he  crossed  alone  the  dark  river  of  Death. 

The  funeral  was  attended  on  Wednesday,  April  30th,  at  10  o'clock,  in  St.  James'  Church, 
Chicago,  Rev.  Arthur  Brooks,  the  rector  of  that  parish,  officiating.  The  school-companions 
of  Arthur  were  present  in  a  body,  and  the  large  concourse  of  friends  attested  wide-spread  grief 
and  sympathy.  The  remains  will  rest  in  the  family  lot  at  Graceland  Cemetery.  Few  human 
lives,  even  the  longest,  win  better  rewards  than  the  treasures  of  lasting  affection  and  honored 
memory.  A  career  ended  in  boyhood  is  not  in  vain,  when  it  bears  so  full  a  record  as  that 
which  embalms  the  name  of  Arthur  Mason  Arnold. 


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